CHOICE verdict
Starlink advertises NBN speeds at home or on the go (roaming) delivered via satellites instead of cables. It's expensive, but it delivers the goods and may be a step up if you live with poor or spotty service, or in regional areas outside the realms of cable connectivity. But residents in metro areas with speedy, expansive internet infrastructure probably won't have a reason to switch.
Price: $688 (equipment + one month residential plan)
Contact: starlink.com
While the idea of getting online via satellite isn't that unusual for rural or regional communities, it's never really kicked off in metro areas. It just can't match the speed and stability of the humble cable. But that may no longer be an issue with Starlink.
This global satellite internet company claims to offer speeds that match many consumer NBN plans – around 100 megabytes per second (MBps) download. As well as standard residential connections for homes, Starlink sets itself apart from NBN competitors with roaming plans as well. But they're a bit different to the plans you associate with taking your phone overseas.
Our experts had some hands-on time with the Starlink starter kit and a roaming plan. They found that it lives up to a lot of its claims – if you can afford it.
On this page:
- How does Starlink work?
- Does Starlink work at home and overseas?
- How much does Starlink cost?
- How fast is Starlink?
- How to get Starlink – where is it available?
- Satellite vs cable internet – should you switch?
How does Starlink work?
Starlink works just like a regular internet connection. The only difference is in how it's distributed. Instead of connecting via fibre to the kerb or fibre to the premises, like the NBN, it beams internet around the world using hundreds of Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites.
You connect your home to the global network using a personal satellite. The LEO satellites beam down data which feeds into your home network via a typical modem. Personal satellites come with a floor stand, but optional wall and roof mounts are available to buy.
Starlink's network is vast and covers many countries, including Australia. You can theoretically get online in the middle of nowhere as long as one of the LEO satellites is in range.
That's also how Starlink is able to offer roaming. You can plonk your personal satellite just about anywhere that has coverage, without the need for internet cables or a fixed address.
Setup takes place in the accompanying app. It includes an obstruction map which identifies objects that could interfere with the connection, then works around them in real-time to help improve speed and stability.
The downsides? It's expensive and not the most environmentally friendly infrastructure. Satellites are launched into space with rockets, which have a significant impact on the environment. Also, decommissioned Starlink satellites are likely to become space junk.
It's not the most environmentally friendly infrastructure. Satellites are launched into space with rockets and decommissioned satellites are likely to become space junk.
A starter kit is available from a handful of retailers such as JB Hi-Fi and Harvey Norman, as well as via Starlink itself. Plans are setup and billed directly through Starlink and, more recently, Telstra.
Does Starlink work at home and overseas?
Yes. Starlink sells two plans – a residential option for fixed addresses, and roaming so you can take it with you to countries with network coverage.
Residential plans need the personal Starlink satellite and modem to connect, which are sold as a starter kit. Otherwise it functions as regular internet across your property. You can even use a third-party router, which is handy as the one supplied by Starlink can struggle to spread a Wi-Fi signal across larger homes with many obstructions (like walls).
But roaming is a little different to what you might associate with taking your smartphone overseas. While an account with a roaming plan will work across the globe, you need to have your personal satellite with you in order to connect.
Lugging this equipment around isn't always practical. Even the 'mini' version of the personal satellite, which is designed to fit in a backpack and sold separately, is still bigger than a smartphone.
Though it does work as promised. Connectivity was flawless in our expert's experience. They had no trouble getting online outside a fixed address even in areas with many obstructions.
Connectivity was flawless in our expert's experience. They had no trouble getting online outside a fixed address even in areas with many obstructions
Starlink roaming is better suited to activities like camping, travelling in a campervan or holidays if you're staying in one location for a longer window of time. It's not like you can treat it as an alternative to a mobile roaming plan that maintains coverage as you bounce between European countries every few days.
How much does Starlink cost?
Worldwide internet doesn't come cheap. The equipment alone costs $549, then residential plans for a fixed address are $99–$139 per month while roaming starts at $80 for 50GB of data, up to $195 for unlimited downloads.
Telstra has also started selling fixed address unlimited satellite internet plans that piggyback on the Starlink network. These are a bit cheaper at $125 per month.
You don't need to pay for a residential account if you're only interested in roaming, and vice versa. However, you will need to pay for both if you want to access Starlink at home and on the go.
Additional fees
Expenses don't stop there. You may be charged a one-time demand surcharge during setup if you live in an area with lots of Starlink users.
We were alerted to a demand surcharge of $295 for the residential plan at the time of testing, after we'd already purchased and unboxed the equipment. Hitting consumers with a fluctuating fee so far into the setup process feels a bit predatory.
Roaming has some extra expenses too. Limited data users can purchase additional gigabytes for $1.50 a piece when you exceed your 50GB allocation.
You can also put a residential or roaming account into Standby Mode for $8.50 per month instead of paying the full subscription fee. This puts your account into a kind of limbo mode – it's still active but you're limited to extremely slow speeds and data caps that effectively disable the network.
Standby Mode saves you the hassle of deactivating the reactivating Starlink when you need it, but there's no reason that this should cost $8.50 a month.
The standard Starlink kit uses about $175 worth of electricity at home each year.
Is Starlink expensive to run?
Our experts recorded idle power consumption over the course of a day (assuming it's left on for 24-hours) and determined that Starlink uses about 438 kilowatt-hours every year. If you pay 40 cents per kilowatt-hour for your electricity, then that's around $175 per year just to run the service. That's not accounting for actual load from data transfers over the internet and between devices.
How fast is Starlink?
We tested speeds using a roaming plan and found that Starlink lives up to its claims – to a degree. While it's typically faster than comparable NBN satellite plans, Starlink is a bit more prone to speed fluctuations.
That's not to say it ever feels slow, it's still fast enough for streaming high quality video streaming and online gaming. But you may want to consider NBN options if you need consistently high speeds with minimal drops, or if you're very serious about online gaming and want the lowest latency (aka online lag) possible.
Roaming uses the same network for fixed addresses so these speed results are comparable to residential plans. All tests were conducted between the hours of 10am and 8pm, in both clear and overcast conditions.
Starlink speed tests – the hard data
Link speeds for downloads were anywhere from 1.32MBps to 44.24MBps, with the average being 13.7MBps across 40 tests. Actual download tests from popular file-hosting sites OneDrive and Google Drive averaged 3.8MBps and 13.4MBps, respectively. Upload links were anywhere between 1.09MBps and 5.25MBps.
Our comparable NBN plan (NBN50 Fibre to the curb) averaged download speeds of 5.73MBps in OneDrive and 5.46MBps in Google Drive.
Latency was generally very good too, though the NBN50 connection was slightly better. Starlink's latency averaged 38 milliseconds (ms), getting as fast as 21ms and as slow as 66ms during our test period. NBN was as low as 15ms with fewer deviations.
How to get Starlink – where is it available?
Coverage is mapped out on the Starlink website. Just pop in your address to check availability – though that's probably not entirely necessary as Starlink is available nationwide.
The personal satellite and router kit, as well as optional extras including the Starlink Mini satellite, roof and wall mounts and extension cables are available at the Starlink website and some retailers.
Fixed-address plans are available from Starlink and Telstra, but roaming plans are only sold by Starlink directly. While there are dozens of internet service providers in Australia that use the NBN, Starlink uses its own infrastructure (LEO satellites). You can't contact TPG, Dodo or Superloop, for example, and ask for the Starlink option.
Satellite vs cable internet – should you switch?
So, is Starlink worth it? There aren't any advantages for fixed residential plans in cities, regional centres and large towns. Locations like these, with established cable infrastructures, already have access to speeds that match, or exceed, Starlink. They're also available at a lower price point.
For regional users outside the realms of cable internet, Starlink is a viable option that's worth looking into
But areas with spotty coverage or slow speeds could benefit from satellite internet as an alternative to cables. Starlink definitely delivers the goods and may even exceed your current download/upload speeds. For regional users outside the realms of cable internet, Starlink is a viable option that's worth looking into.
As for roaming? Though its applications are limited, it's the best way to get online when you're away from home. You just need to be travelling in the specific scenarios to fully utilise what is something of a cumbersome setup.
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